NBA Live 99

"The game that breathed new life back in to thee NBA live series."

INTRODUCTION

Sports games will always be one of my favorite genres in the video gaming world. NBA Live 99 is one reason why I am into sports games. I was not too impressed with the NBA Live series up until 99, so I braced myself for disapointment when I brought this game home. I was very pleasantly surprised the second I saw the FMV video. NBA Live 99 is a game that has flaws, and a few of them it does have, but Live 99 is no short of a huge improvement that reset the standards for the Live series.



GAMEPLAY

NBA Live 99 has a semi completed roster. The only real teams that are available are the standard ones that just had to be in the game. The 29 NBA teams are about it. Other than that, there's not much in the way of hidden teams, hidden players, etc. I was a bit disapointed with the roster, but the rest of the game can make up for it in other ways.

The modes in NBA Live 99 are good, but they aren't anything special. You can play the standard mode of exhibition, which is a normal game of basketball. You can also take on a full on 82 game season. This season is good. If the season's a bit too long for you, skip straight to the playoffs and try your luck in the playoff series and try to cheat your way to the NBA title. There are two new modes that are added to NBA Live 99. The first is a practice mode. This mode was mentioned as one of NBA Live 99's high points, but frankly, it really isn't that good. The game's practice mode was definitely not a high point of Live 99. Another nice feature is the three point contest. I'm always one to try and drain a three, and this is my chance to do it over and over again. You select two players and try to score more three pointers in the alotted time with your player than the computer can score with his. I like to put me as Reggie Miller and the computer as some jabroni that noone's even heard of unless their a hardcore fan of that particular team.

The big way that NBA Live 99 improves would have to be in its gameplay. Before the Live series was looked at by me in sort of an NBA Jam kind of way, but this is proof that NB Live was meant to be a technical sim. You have full options of how the game works, IE out of bowds and fouls can be turn off, or you can make it ten fouls for a foul out instead of six. The control in NBA Live 99 is a slight weak point, though. The control is not that great. It moves rather sluggishly, and I really didn't like the way the Playstation controller worked with the game. It's the same as the much better controlled NBA Live 2000, but the strategies that I used were different, and the strategies didn't feel particular comfortable with the PSX controller. NBA Live 2000's controls were more comfortable for me and worked better for my particular taste, but this could be strictly a matter of opinion. Overall, NBA Live 99 plays great, but the control needs a little tweaking.

GAMEPLAY SCORE: 8.7/10



GRAPHICS

NBA Live 99's graphics are probably the least improved area of NBA Live 98. The graphics are mostly the same. The character designs are, for the most part, identical to their right height and things. One large improvement, and probably the biggest improvement in the graphics department, were the showing of emotions on the players. In previous Lives, a player that just fouled out of the game would be grinning like a child on his birthday. However, the players let out some emotions in short cut scenes in between gameplay. These are a nice feature and help the realism of the game greatly. For the rest of the graphics, they are mostly the same as NBA Live 99. The crowd, which has always looked terrible, is no exception here, as a simple blend of color that really have no definite shape is the background. There are no real lighting effects in Live 99, and the graphics were the only area that didn't improve too much. NBA Live 2000 did what Live 99 should've done with the graphics. Overall, you're getting the same graphical look as you always have, only with the addition of player emotions. Yet, these graphics are still rather excellent, minus the terrible crowd.

GRAPHICS SCORE: 8.2/10



MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS

The music in NBA Live 99 is pretty good. There are no great tracks that are featured, but for the most part the sound of the music sounds typical for a basketball game. The music during the FMV'S and the typical ''CHARGE!'' type music that will ring through the arena during play is very accurate and sounds superb.

The sound effects are great. Don Poyer provides commentary. He can be a bit slow at times, but he keeps up the rest of the time rather well. The coaches and crowd will call out encouragement and instructions during the game, and this is a nice real touch. The sounds of the game are recorded very well, and all of the noises such as basketballs bouncing on the court to the swush of a ball zooming through the net are done excellently. The crowd sounds great, as in all EA games. They favor the home team, which is something I really should be used by more companies. <cough> Sony and 989 <cough> Overall, the sound in NBA Live 99 is great with no major complaints.

MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS SCORE: 8.8/10



DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

NBA Live 99 is a Relatively difficult game. It is possible to win consistantly, but it can be difficult. The computer is really bad about admitting a loss. They can make some huge rallies in the fourth quarter This is one thing that really bugs me about most basketball games, but recently it has been fixed.



REPLAY VALUE: AVERAGE

NBA Live 99 is not a particularly long lasting game. It is a good game, but it just seems to ware off very quickly. There is no particular reason for this, the game just doesn't seem to last. If you have a friend or two you could have more fun with the game, but it just isn't one of those games you'll play all season.



OTHER GAME INFORMATION

RENT/buy?: BUY

GENRE: SPORTS



OVERALL SCORE: 8.6/10

NBA Live 99 is a great game. It really was what got me into the NBA Live series, as I was not too impressed with EA'S previous basketball games. But NBA Live 99 paved the way, and than along came a game called NBA Live 2000........ But that's a different story. Fact is, NBA Live 99's pretty cheap now, you should go out and buy it. You can't expect it to be game of the year, but it's good all the same.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/00, Updated 08/10/00